Honestly this could not have been a more timely campaign about an issue that has not always been handled in the correct manner.

Domestic violence in the NFL has been a constant topic in the media for years, but has been exacerbated more recently with the news of ex-Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice being caught on CCTV dragging his unconscious wife (due to him hitting her) out of a hotel elevator. It sparked outrage at the way not just some players have been found to be treating their wives, but also the way the NFL, teams, and the sports culture treats the issue of domestic violence.

There have been discussions about who is responsible, especially when an abused woman (like Janay Rice) chooses to stay with her abusive husband. It certainly blurs the lines and forces us to realize that simply telling a woman to leave is not as easy as it sounds. There are many complexities to domestic violence and a new video campaign is giving light to this.

‘Law and Order’ actress Mariska Hargitay has teamed up with actors Blair Underwood and Tate Donovan to create a video featuring some prominent football players saying “no more” to excuses often used in domestic violence situations.

The video was made for Nomore.org, an organization which has made a series of videos in the past featuring celebrities and high-profile people using their voice to say “no more” to domestic violence. DV, whether it be against a man or a woman, is always wrong, but the truth is that the majority of victims are women, both in the United States and overseas.

No More was founded by Christine Mau in 2009 who is a survivor of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and is now the Director of European Design at Kimberly-Clark. There are a tonne of domestic violence-related organizations who are behind this movement, including Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Hearts Foundation.

Mariska has said in previous interviews that she started the foundation in 2004 to raise awareness and advocacy for domestic violence because of the response she was getting from fans of her hit TV show. Playing a cop investigating sexual crimes on TV, she would often get letters and emails from fans who had been through exactly what a story line on the show played out, and she realized she was in a unique position to speak out about an important topic.

And now she is using her voice and her platform to get on board with a timely message relating to domestic violence in the NFL. And we want to point it that it is not just “timely” because it is what’s in the media right now. It is timely because we live in a celebrity-obsessed culture that pays homage to high profile people. These NFL players have a huge amount of influence over young fans and if a young boy grows up thinking “this is just what men do” (a line from the video below) then we have a major problem.

Enter, Mariska and the No More team who want to put an end to this unacceptable behavior and try to reverse the damage that has been allowed to exist for way too long.

“If badass NFL heroes are coming forward to talk about these issues, I guarantee you it is going give inspiration and permission to young boys to step up in a new way. Love in a new way, protect in a new way, and to be a man in a new way,” said Mariska.

“It’s interesting to me that, in a society so highly charged with the culture of sexual enlightenment, we have such a difficult time discussing the things that are right and wrong. It is wrong to do harm to another. There is no other society, no other time in history, that this message needs to be so clearly communicated.”

“Fathers need to make a point to show and tell their sons what’s right and to tell their daughters how they should be treated. We have no excuse, and we should all be open enough with our friends and family to have that discussion,” said current NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations player Troy Vincent in an interview about his involvement in the video.

“Football is a love of my life, but it is also a game. To succeed in football, we have to be aggressive. But that aggression must stay on the field. The family is a place of love, peace, security, and compassion. The responsibility we have as parents is to ensure that our children know the difference between on-the-field passion and off-the-field compassion.”

“Domestic violence and sexual assault are not just an NFL issue. These are issues that are faced by all of us. It will take the collective nature and shared responsibility of us as humanity, as God’s children, to solve this together. Whether we are football fans or not, we share in treating one another with respect and dignity.”